Our experience (I am a citizen, spouse in a PR) is CIC is way behind in processing PR card renewals and their quoted service times are mis-leading and never updated online weekly, as they state they are on their website.
Originally sent in my wife's application Feb 21, 2017. They sent back the pictures indicating the chin to top of head distances was 1 mm too big (1 mm....really??). New pictures send in and they acknowledged on their system they received "complete" application March 9, 2017. CIC acknowledged they started processing May 11, 2017. My wife is supposed to go to visit her parents leaving June 5th, so it looks like our only option, "plan B" will be to change her return flight to arrive in Seattle (she has a 10 year U.S. visa) and I go pick her up there. Biggest inconvenience of plan B is the cost. $700 airline change fee to her Vancouver - SE Asia - Vancouver ticket bought 6 months ago and the risk the border agent refuses her land crossing and sends her packing.
The airline oversea's won't let you on the plane to Vancouver with an expired PR card, hence the Plan B mentioned above. Already had that experience with her current card that expired May 1, 2017 and we were flying back from a short trip to Palm Springs May 3rd. Had to buy her a new one way ticket to Bellingham and go pick her up there. In that case the land crossing CBSA agent commented on her expired card but let her back in.
For her PR renewal application, we had all the tickets and send them in with proof of payment etc, but were refused urgent processing, obviously, as it has now been almost 4 months from original application.
So, our experience on PR card renews is: not a great system, they are way behind in processing renewals, and there is no real way, as with passports, to pay an urgent processing fee and get a renewal in the 45 days service period they try to maintain. Lesson learned if you should start your PR card renewal 6 months before expiry........
I kinda feel sorry for folks who are PR's in Canada. Really treated very poorly by the Federal Government. Appears to be a low priority, underfunded Federal operation that processes renewals, that has not a care in the world how poorly they are treating new immigrants who are trying to follow the rules.
